There are many devices which have adjustable legs, tension members, or other support structures including a pair of extension members telescopingly arranged for longitudinal adjustment between one or more predetermined locking positions. Often a biased detent locking assembly is situated within the innermost telescoping member and arranged to automatically extend outwardly through aligned apertures in the telescoping members to lock the same in a predetermined longitudinal position. Examples of such telescopic arrangements include collapsible tent poles, legs on folding chairs, and the vertical standards on track hurdles and similar devices. Generally, in order to adjust these telescoping members, one must depress the outwardly biased detent locking member inwardly to release the outer telescoped member from locked condition with the inner member. Anyone who has had the opportunity to experience and use apparatuses including telescoping members of this type has no doubt also experienced the tendency of such biased locking assemblies to pinch fingers, and, sometimes, to cause abrasions or cuts on fingers or thumbs used to depress the locking member.
Track hurdles are a prime example of such telescoping longitudinal members having a biased detent locking assembly therewithin. It is very common for track hurdles to feature a variety of predetermined vertical heights, such as thirty, thirty-three, thirty-six, thirty-nine and/or forty-two inches, in order to accommodate different races and different age groups and sexes of competitors. For example, at collegiate men's track meets, the hurdles are first set at the forty-two inch height for the first hurdle race in the meet (usually the high hurdle race). Following that race, the hurdles must be lowered to their thirty-six inch height for the next race, which is often relatively soon after the high hurdle race. Consequently, the hurdles must be quickly adjusted by the crew members, which has heretofore required the manual depressing of the spring-loaded pins extending outwardly through aligned apertures in the telescoping members of the hurdle standards. Because the outwardly biased detent or pin automatically pops outwardly for locking engagement as the telescoping members are adjusted to the next (i.e., thirty-nine inch) height, the crew member will again have to depress the pin in order to continue the adjustment procedure down to thirty-six inches. As can be appreciated, these manual operations can take their toll on the hands and fingers of the crew members.
While there have been a number of adapters, release handles, and other arrangements provided for various telescoping arrangements with spring-loaded pushbutton locking members, heretofore there has not been available a release tool for telescoping members of track hurdle standards and the like which is independent of the telescoping assembly itself and which can be conveniently used to adjust a number of independent telescoping member assemblies. For example, an adapter for manipulating spring-loaded pushbutton is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,056,115 which issued to M. Thomas. The Thomas structure requires a collar force-fit into position around the outer tubular telescoping member, a plunger having a domed head, and a pressure plate at the outside end of the plunger for contact with the hand of the user.
Similarly, a lock releasing arrangement for a telescoping tubular leg is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,761,092, which issued to K. Nakatani. The Nakatani telescoping members are illustrated as being generally rectangular in nature, and a U-shaped mounting bracket is dimensioned to fit around the outer leg section. The bracket is held against removal from the leg section by a camming lever attached by a pivotal shaft for movement between locking and release positions. The camming lever creates a friction lock for holding the telescoped legs in a desired position. U.S. Pat. No. 4,834,413, which issued N. Patel et al., shows a similar quick release handle for patient aid and invalid care devices. The handle includes a collar which extends around the periphery of the outer tube of a pair of telescoped members, and rotation of the collar cams a series of detents either inwardly or outwardly for selectively depressing a spring-biased detent which projects through aligned apertures of the telescopically received tubes.
Other release tool arrangements have been provided for a wide variety of applications including spring biased locking members, from excavation equipment tooling to folding chairs and the like. However, heretofore, there has not been provided a relatively simple release tool for adjustable telescoping members having a biased detent locking assembly, and which was conveniently applicable by a user in the form of an independent release tool for application to a number of separate devices such as track hurdles or the like.